Machine for making and vending or dispensing toilet seat covers and the like



FBI 9, c DQANE MACHINE FOR MAKING AND VENDING 0R DISPENSING TOILET SEAT COVERS AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 50, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Leroy 6. Doanc BY ATTORNEY Fii; 9, i932 .Mk-H DQANEH 1,844,834 mncnmg gpg MAKING AND VENDING on DISPENSING TOILET 3m cqmqsmn fI'BE LIKE Filed NOV; 30, 1929 2 She'ts-Shet 2 INVENTOR Leroy C DOdTZE BY ATTORNEY predetermined manner.

Patented Feb. 9, 1932 LEROY C. DOANE, 01* MEEIDEIT,

CGNNECTICUT, ASSIG-NDB. Ti) SANITARY PUBLIC SERVICE COREORAITON, OF 'NEW YORK, 11'. Y., A CGEPOBATTOH G3? NEXV MACHINE FOR IvIAKING AND VENDING R DISPENEENG TOILET SEAT COVERS AND THE LIKE Application filed. November 30, 1929.

The present invention relates to machines for making and vending or dispensing toilet seat covers and the like. The present invention contemplates a machine for making,

- vending and dispensing toilet seat covers,

sembled in a unit and easily and quickly secured in place inside a lockable cabinet or box adapted to house the same. The various parts are arranged so that there is ample room for inserting a large roll of paper so that the machine may make a large number of seat covers, towels, or other articles from each roll of paper. The machine is also preterably so designed that one can do the ordi-' nary servicing of the machine without re- 25' quiring the use of tools, it merely being necessary to unlock and lower the cover, remove the unused paper, insert the new roll and feed the paper through the machine in a To facilitate the feeding of the paper into the machine, provisions are made for removing one of the guide rolls and wrapping the paper about the female severing roll, so that the paper may be brought against the severing means carried by the male roll.

The invention also contemplates the employment or a movable bar which rests on the top of the roll of paper for holding the paper tight and imposing a drag to straighten out the paper and prevent over-run. This m vable bar may be utilized for operating an indicator as well as the mechanism whereby the coin chute is closed when the size of the roll or" paper is reduced to a predetermined amount.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

The accompanying drawings show, for

purposes of illustrating the present invention, one of the many embodiments in which the Serial No. 410,680.

it may take to 111, it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting the same.

in these drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the machii o, the parts being shown in an intermediate position and parts being broken away to show interior construction;

1a is an outline View illustrating toilet seat cover; Figure 1?) IS a perspecti e view of paper retaining device;

Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating at cover placed on the toilet seat; is a horizontal sectional View on the line 33 of Figure l, the parts io-wn in the position they assume at cycle of operations;

is a sectional view taken on the line 01" Figure 3 in the direction of the arrow and showing the operating mechanism and coin control mechanism in elevation;

Figure in is a fragmentary elevational view 01" a portion of the structure shown in Fi ure 4, illustrating a modification to convert the device from a coin controlled vendor to a dispenser;

igure 5 shows the developed surface of female cylinder; and rignre 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fi ure l.

The sanitary toilet seat cover dispensing machine shown herein is designed to be mounted on a wall or on a suitable support to the rear of the toilet and is made of such size as to'be capable of being fitted in place without inconvenience.

The entire mechanism is enclosed in a cover or housing preferably made of sheet metal. The lined part of the housing has a back wall indicated at 10, sine walls 11 and 12, and a bottom wall 13. The upper parts of the side walls 11 and 12 are made narrower, as indicated, so as to permit access into the inerio-r oi the box. The cover is also made of sheet metal. It has front wall 15 and side walls 16 and 17. The front wall 15 extends up over the top, as indicated at 18, to close the container. The cover is pivoted on pins,

indicated at 19, so that the cover may be swung from the full line position, indicated in Figure 4, down to the dotted position indicated in Figure 1 where it may hang. The cover may be locked in the upper or closed position by locking mechanism indicated at 20.

The lower front part of the box has an apron 21, while the lower front part of the cover has a return bent portion 22 separated from the apron and adapted to form a passage way for the delivery of the seatcover. This housing supports all of the mechanism of the paper handling and dispensing machine as well as control mechanism and a coin receptacle. The cover forming and dispensing mechanism, together with the coin control mechanism, are supported on brackets 23 and 24.

The cover forming and dispensing mechanism is carried on two frame plates 30 and 31 which may conveniently be made in the form of castings. These frame members support the paper supply roll and the feeding and tearing or cutting rollers by which the paper is formed into a toilet seat cover. The frame member 31 at the right of the machine also supports the coin control mechanism. The frame members 30 and 31 are tied together at the rear by a rod 32, secured in place by screws indicated at 33. This rod 32 is adapted to be received in the clips 23 and 24, and is secured in place by screws indicated at 25. The rear edge of the frame is brought against the back wall of the cabinet and assists in holding the parts in alignment.

Near the upper part of the frame two open bea 'ings are provided, as indicated at 34 and 35, to receive a rod 36, passing through the center of a roll of paper 37. The paper is passed from the roll 37 around the front of a presser roll 38, revolvably mounted on a tie rod or tube 38 secured to the frame members by screws 38".

This presser roll 38 preferably has a rubber surface and it acts to hold "he paper against the female roller 39. The paper passes about the back or rear side of the female roller 39 and against a male roller 40. The rolls 39 and 40 have suitable configuration to form the toilet seat cover in the desired shape and size.

Such a seat cover is indicated in Figure 1a. It has an inverted V-shaped lower edge indicated at a and a and a similar shaped upper edge a and a. The seat cover is also provided with a partially severed centrally located oval shaped flap Z), the unsevered portion 0 of this flap being near the lower or front end of the toilet seat cover. Where a towel is to be made, the knives for forming the flap are omitted.

The rolls 39 and 40 are connected together by gears 41 and 42 having a two to one relation, so that the smaller female roll 39 makes two revolutions to one revolution of the larger male roll 40. The machine is, therefore, arranged for making a toilet seat cover or towel whose length equals twice the circumference of the smaller female roll.

The developed surface of the smaller roll 39 is shown in Figure 5. It has helical slots 42a and 4% arranged for cutting the V- shaped ends aa' of the toilet seat cover. It also has grooves, indicated at 43a, 43b, 43c, 43d, and 430, disposed about the surface of the cylinder for forming the flap b. This flap, as indicated in Figure 1a, is an oval flap ecured to the body of the seat cover at c. As the length of the flap is more than onehalf of the length of the seat cover, the grooves 43d and 436 cross the groove 436, as indicated in Figures 3 and 5. This roller may be conveniently constructed by employing sections of cast metal 39a, 396, 390, and 39d, as indicated in Figure 5 by the difference in direction of the shade lines, these cast metal sections being finished to provide the grooves, as shown, and being held in place on a metal cylinder 44 by screws indicated at 45.

The male roll 40 is slIeletonizr-d, as shown in the drawings. Three disks 46, 47 and 48 are secured on the shaft 42 carrying the gear 42. The central disk carries the flap forming device indicated at 49. It is made from sheet metal in the form of a fragment of a cylinder and is provided with radially projecting paper tearing edges 50 having a configuration such that they lit into the grooves 43a, 43b, 43c, 43d, and 436. The other paper tearing device carried on the male cylinder for forming the ends of the seat cover is in the form of a sheet metal member indicated at 51. It is secured to all three of the disks 46, 47 and 48, and has a radially projecting helical edge 52 adapted to enter the helical slots 42a and 42b of the female roller.

Owing to the two to one relation between the two rollers, it will be apparent that edges 50 and 52 will enter the corresponding grooves in the female roller in proper sequence, so that the seat cover will have the desired length and the flap will be properly spaced within the body of the cover. In order that the cover will not be completely torn from the paper retained in the machine so that it would drop away from the machine, the end forming devices are made shorter than the width of the paper to thereby leave a narrow attaching pcion, as indicated, at (m After the paper passes between the rolls, it travels forwardly underneath the fcn'iale roller 39 and is carried in between two guide rolls indicated at and 61. The guide roll 60 preferably has a number of soft rubber rings 62 (see Figure 6) for yieldingly pressing the paper against the female roller, and this guide roll is driven by a gear 63 in mesh with the gear 41 for the female roller and acts to draw the paper off the supply roll.

The front roll is mounted in a manner whereby it may be easily removed, as will be described below. The forward roller 61 may be a plain metal cylinder and merely acts on the paper to deliver it downwardly, as will be clear from Figures 1 and 4.

The front roller 61 is quickly detachable. it is carried at the left in any suitable bearing, such as a projecting pin, while the right hand roller is carried in an open bearing 64. Tiis end of the roller 61 is recessed, as indicated at 65, to receive a pin 66 carried on the end of a leaf spring 67, secured to the frame member 31 by screws 68, as shown. When one desires to remove the cylinder 61, it is merely necessary to grasp the outer end of the spring 67 and press it to the right far enough to withdraw the pin 65 from the bearing hole. The cylinder 61 may then be removed.

The left end of the roll 60 is carried in any suitable form of bearing such as a projecting pin carried by the left frame member 30. The right hand end of the roller may be provided with a construction shown more in de tail in Figure 6, whereby it may be easily removed. A screw 70 is threaded through the frame member 31. It has a cylindrical inner end 71 and passes through a washer T2, as shown. The inner end of the screw 70 forms a bearing for the gear 63. This gear has a hub, indicated at 7 3, which enters into the adjacent end of the roller 60 to support the same. The roller 60 is provided with notches, indicated at 74:, to receive a pin 75 passing through the inner end or hub 73 of the gear 63. When the parts are in position, as indicated in full lines in Figure 6, the roller 60 is freely revolvablo by means of the gear 63. Yfhen, however, it is desired to remove the roller 60, it ismerely necessary to turn the screw 70 backward to the position indicated in dotted lines. This will press back the spring 67 to permit release of the front roller 61 and, as soon as the screw is moved back far enough,

it will release the gear 63. The gear 63 and shaft 60 may then be removed and a different shaft. substituted or new rings placed on the shaft, as desired.

A full roll of paper may be placed in the 'machine as indicated in Figure 1. The paper is carried around in front of the presser roll 38 and is at first allowed to hang down in front of the female roller 39. The roller 61' is moved as above described. A strap (shown in Figure 1b) and normally stored in the po sition shown in Figure 1, is pressed against the paper, causing the prongs 81 to pass through the paper and enter holes 82 in the female roller 39. One then holds this strap in place and, at the same time, turns on the crank 83 to actuate the rolls in the direction determined by the dog 84. This will carry the paper and strap 80 upwardly about the roller 39., causing the strap and paper to pass underneath the roll 38. The holes 82 are so placed that the strap passes between the paper severing edges on the male roller without in terference, and, on continued movement of the crank, the strap and paper is brought out to the front of the machine with the paper between the rolls 38 and 40. The strap 80 is then removed and the paper passed down in front of the roller 60. The roller 01 may now be replaced and the crank turned a sufficient number of times to pa s the paper through the machine or make a few covers which may be discarded.

In order that the machine may be stopped at the proper time, it is provided with a stop device automatically set into operation to the rotation of the rolls. This stop device may be manually controller to release the mechanism so one can make a seat cover, as in a dispenser, or may be controlled by a coin control mechanism which, will now be rieliy described. It is more fully described in my application for patent for coin controlled mechanisms, Serial No. 410,681, filed November 30, 1929.

The coin control mechanism is carried by and associated with the righ hand frame member 31. The inner face of the frame member 31 is provided with a vertical recess adapted to guide a coin. This recess 100 is covered by a plate 101, detachably secured in place by screws 10:? and 103, passing through holes 112 and 103 in the plate 101 and threaded into the frame member 31. The plate 101 extends upwardly to be above the upper end of the frame member 31, as indicated at 10%. It carried two pins 105 and 106 which act as guides for a sliding member 107, slotted as indicated at 107. The lower end of this slot 107 has a return portion, as indicated at 107". The front of the slider 107 has a forward extension, as indicated at 108, for a purpose to be described, and the upper end of the sliding member 107 extends rearwardly, as indicated at 109 for a purpose to be described.

The lower rear part of the plate 101 is offset, as indicated at 110, and this offset portion carries a stop arm 111 pivoted, as inclicated at 112. The lower end of this stop arm has a hook 113 engan'eable with a pin 114. carried by the gear wheel to stop the appara tus in the proper position. The upper end 115 has a slot 116 to receive a guide pin 117 so that it has a limited freedom of movement. It extends forwardly, indicated at 1 8, to be opposite a coin pusher, and is designed so as to remain in either extreme position.

This coin pushing device 119 may be made in the form of a folded piece of sheet metal slotted. as indicated at 120, to receive a finger 121, folded out of the material of the plate 101. The inner end of the pusher may be bent laterally, as indicated at 122, and passed through a slot 123 in the member 101. A coiled spring 124 acts to hold the coin pushing device in the outer position. The coin pushing device 119 is received in a horizontal slot or recess 12 1 in the inner face of the frame member 31 and extends out through a hole 119 in the cover 15.

The upper guide pin 105 also pivot-ally supports an indicator 125. This indicator extends upwardly, as shown in the drawings, and carries an arcuate flange 125 provided with indicia Empty and Full, visible through an opening in the cover 15. It also has a projection 127 passing through a slot 127' in the plate 101 and engageable with the edge 108 of the vertically movable bar 107. This holds the indicating member in the elevated position, as shown in Figures 1 and a in full lines. lVhen it is in this position, it is possible to insert a coin through the coin opening. The coin then passes down between the plate 101 and the frame member 31, a groove or channel 129 being provided for this purpose. The coin is stopped by the bottom wall of the horizontal channel or groove 12;, resting in the position indicated at C of Figure 4. One can then push on the coin pusher 119, pressing the coin rearwardly so that it acts on the forward extension 118 of the lever 111, pushing this lever backward and releasing the hook 113 from the pin 114.. The coin then drops down the chute provided by the vertical groove or slot 100.

The seat forming mechanism being now released, the machine may be carried through a cycle of operation by the crank and a sheet cover formed. Just before the completion of the forming of a cover, the pin 114 on the gear wheel 42 strikes the rear edge 111a of the arm 111 and moves it to a position to arrest the pin.

The upper rearwardly extending portion 109 of the slider 107 is apertured, as indicated at 130, to receive a pin carried on the end of presser bar 131. The other end of this presser bar 131 has a pin 132, adapted to slide in guides 133 provided in the left frame member 30. It fill thus be seen that the presser bar moves down as the roll of paper is depleted. hen the paper has been used down far enough to carry the vertical side edge 108 of the vertically moving bar below the finger 127, this linger will travel along the bevelled surface 134 until it drops into the notch indicated at 135. This allows the indi *ator 125 to drop to dot and dash line position there shown and to carry the indicator to such a position that the word Empt v" may appear behind the indicator opening 136. This will also cause the indicater to close the coin opening so that one cannot insert a coin into the machine.

\Vhen a new supply of paper is to be inserted in the machine, the bar 131 is removed and the slider 107 raised up so that the reentrant slot 107" may receive the lower guide pin 106. This will make it possible to support the slider and rod in elevated position, and not have them drop so that the indicator would interfere with again raising the same.

The machine is preferably timed so that the lower edge of a partly formed seat cover is about in the position shown in Figure 1. The completed seat cover hangs downwardly, the parts being about as indicated at Figure 1a. One can then grasp the outer edges of the completed seat cover and tear it away from the supporting paper leaving a more ragged edge indicated at cm in Figure 1.

It will, of course, be understood that, in making a dispenser instead of a vendor, one would arrange the parts 118 and 119a, as indicated in Figure 464, so that the release of the seat forming mechanism could be efi'ected without a coin. The part 119a is the same as the coin pusher 119 except that it is made enough longer to occupy the same space as the coin pusher and a coin. As there would be no need in a dispenser to cover a coin chute, the indicating mechanism might be omitted and a mere window provided. In this case, the right hand end of the presser bar 131 could be guided the same as the left end, as shown.

It is obvious that the invention may be embodied in many forms and constructions and I wish it to be understood that the particular form shown is but one of the many forms. Various modifications and changes being possible, I do not limit myself in any way with respect thereto.

I claim:

1. A machine for forming paper articles out of a web of paper and dispensing the same, comprising a casing having an open front and adapted to be fixedly mounted, a frame adapted to receive and support a roll of paper, male and female rolls carried in the frame for forming the articles from the web, frame supported rolls for guiding the paper about one of the forming rolls to have the design provided therein, operating mechanism for carrying the forming rolls through a cycle of operations, and means for detachably securing the frame and parts carried thereby as a unit in the casing.

2. A machine for forming paper articles out of a web of paper and dispensing the same, comprising a casing having an 0 en front and adapted to be fixedly mountec, a frame adapted to receive and support a roll of paper, male and female rolls carried in the frame for forming the articles from the web, frame supported rolls for guiding the paper about one of the forming rolls to have the design provided therein, operating mechanism for carrying the forming rolls through a cycle of operations, the frame including a tie red at the rear, and hooks carried by the back of the casing to receive the tie rod and thereby support the frame.

3. A machine for forming paper articles out of a web of paper and dispensing the same, comprising a casing having an open front and adapted to be fixedly mounted, a frame having two end members connected together by a tie rod at the rear, and hooks carried by the back wall of the casing and receiving the tie rod, the frame carrying web supporting and article forming and dispensing mechanism and being detachable as a unit from the hooks.

4:. A machine for forming paper articles out of a web of paper and dispensing the same, comprising a frame having two end members each provided with means for detachably supporting a web of paper, cooperative male and female rolls meshing together and revolvably supported between the end members, the rolls having a predetermined design to form the article, tie rods connecting the frame end members together, a guide roll carried on one of the tie rods for guiding the paper onto the female roll in advance of the meeting point of the male and female rolls, and a gear driven pressure roll on the other side of the meeting plane.

5. A machine for forming paper articles out of a web of paper and dispensing the same, comprising a frame having two end members each provided with means for detachably supporting a web of paper, cooperative male and female rolls meshing together and revolvably supported between the end members, the rolls having a predetermined design to form the article, tie rods connecting the frame end members together, a guide roll carried on one of the tie rods for guiding the paper onto the female roll in advance of the meeting point of the male and female rolls, a gear driven pressure roll on the other side of the meeting plane, and a guide roll opposite the pressure roll for guiding the formed covers out of the machine.

6. A machine for forming paper articles out of a web of paper and dispensing the same, comprising a frame ha ing two end members each provided with means for detachably supporting a web of paper, coo-pen ative male and female rolls meshing together and revolvably supported between the end members, the rolls having a predetermined design to form the article, tie rods connecting the frame end members together, a guide roll carried on one of the tie rods for guiding the paper onto the female roll in advance of the meeting point of the male and female rolls, a gear driven pressure roll on the other side of the meeting point, and a guide roll opposite the pressure roll for guiding the formed covers out of the machine, the second guide roll being supported for quick detachment without tools to facilitate threading the paper through the machine.

7. A machine for forming paper articles out of a web of paper and dispensing the same, comprising a frame having two end members each provided with means fordetachably supporting a web of paper, cooperative male and female rolls meshing together and revolvably supported between the end members, the rolls having predetermined design to form the article, tie rods connecting the frame end members together, a guide roll carried on one of the tie rods for guiding the paper onto the female roll in advance of the meeting point of the male and female rolls, and a gear driven pressure roll on the other side of the meeting point, the pressure roll and gear for driving the same being removably supported by the frame end members.

8. A machine for forming paper articles out of a web of paper and dispensing the same, comprising a frame having two end members each provided with means for detachably supporting a web of paper, cooperative male and female rolls meshing together and revolvably supported between the end members, the rolls having a predetermined design to form the article, a rotatable guide roll in advance of the meeting point of the male and female rolls for guiding the paper onto the female roll, a pressure roll on the opposite side of the meeting point for drawing the paper between the male and female rolls, and a drag bar resting on the roll of paper for imposing tension on the web ofpaper as it is unwound by operation of the rolls.

9. In a machine for forming paper articles, a casing having a back wall, a pair of open clips carried by the back wall, a frame havtwo end members and supporting cooperative male and female rolls and pressure rolls for effecting the formation of the article from a web of paper fed between the same, and a rod connecting the frame members and carried in the open clips.

; 10. In a machine for forming paper articles, a casing having a back wall, a pair of open clips carried by the back wall, a frame having two end members and supporting cooperative male and female rolls and presser rolls for effecting the formation of the article from. a web of paper fed between the same, one of the presser rolls being carried on a tie rod securing the frame end members together, and a second tie rod connecting the frame members and carried in the open clips.

11. A machine for forming paper articles from a roll of paper comprising, cooperative male and female rolls driven together and adapted to receive a web of paper between them and to form the same into said articles, a take-off roll driven with the female roll and pressing the paper against it, and a quick detachable guide roll cooperative with the take-off roll to guide the article out of the machine.

12. In a machine for forming paper articles, a casing having back wall, a bottom Wall and a front wall extending upwardly a short distance from the front edge of the bottom wall and forming a narrow apron, a delivery chute formed by the apron and by a casing supported member spaced forwardly from the apron, cooperative male and female rolls mounted in the casing and adapted to receive a web of paper between them and form the same into paper articles, and delivery rolls above the apron and acting on the formed article to take it ofi? the forming rolls and deliver it downwardly through the chute.

13. In a machine for forming paper articles, a casinghaving a back wall, a bottom Wall and a front wall extending upwardly a short distance from the front edge of the bottom wall and forming a narrow apron, a cover pivoted to the casing and covering the front of the machine, the lower part of the cover extending upwardly and being spaced from the apron to form a delivery chute, and article forming mechanism secured to the casing and having delivery rolls above the apron for delivering a formed article downwardly through the chute.

14. In a machine for forming paper articles, cooperative rolls having impression forming mechanism for tearing an article from a web of paper, a PIGTSUI'Q take-oft roll, a guide roll in front of the take-off roll, a housing about the machine having an apron extending upwardly to be behind the suspended seat cover, and a cover for the housing, the cover being spaced from the apron at the bottom to allow the article to pass therebetween.

15. In a machine for forming paper articles, a housing having side walls, a narrow front apron across the lower iil'OIlt thereof forming the rear side of a delivery chute, a front wall for the delivery chute spaced from the apron, and article forming mechani m including a pair of delivery rolls above the edge of the front apron, one roll in front and the other behind the apron, both rolls being behind the front wall of the chute whereby the article is delivered through. the chute.

Signed at Meriden, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, this 26th day of November, 1929.

LEROY C. DOANE. 

